Marriage is a hidden factor in hypertension, researchers say.

In the past, the connection between marriage and high blood pressure was often discussed in a joking manner. Researchers didn’t consider it a topic worthy of serious investigation.

High blood pressure, despite its subtle symptoms, can be life-threatening. Approximately 1.28 billion people worldwide suffer from hypertension. Recently, the disease has been affecting younger individuals: more and more people in their 25s and 30s are joining the ranks of those with high blood pressure. Only half of those suffering from hypertension seek treatment. Those who don’t are at an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

According to researchers from West Virginia University, the risk is nine percent higher for married individuals, as reported by the Daily Mail.

What Scientists Discovered

The university team set out to investigate whether husbands and wives, who typically share similar interests, living conditions, lifestyles, and health statuses, also suffer from high blood pressure.

The researchers analyzed blood pressure readings from 1,086 English couples, 6,514 Chinese couples, 22,389 Indian couples, and 3,989 couples from the United States.

Participants were considered to have hypertension if their blood pressure exceeded 140/90 mm Hg.

The measurements revealed that about 47 percent of English couples, over 38 percent of American couples, 21 percent of Chinese couples, and 20 percent of Indian couples had high blood pressure.

Moreover, among those husbands and wives with partners suffering from high blood pressure, the likelihood of developing hypertension was nine percent higher.

Bethany Barone Gibbs, an associate professor at the West Virginia University School of Public Health, noted, “If your spouse has hypertension, you’re likely to have it too.”

Given the findings of the study, the researchers emphasized the potential benefits of couple-based diagnosis and treatment for high blood pressure instead of individual treatment for partners.

The results of the study were published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.